Luggage and garment hanging combination assembly

ABSTRACT

A luggage and garment hanging combination assembly includes a housing that has a rear wall and a perimeter wall having a front edge defining an opening into the housing. A cover attached to the front edge is used to close or open the opening. The perimeter wall has an access aperture extending therethrough and a panel is mounted on the perimeter wall to open or close the access aperture. A garment bar has a first end, a second end, and an upper surface extending between the first and second ends. A garment may be draped over the garment bar such that the garment rests on the upper surface. The garment bar is mounted in the housing and is accessible through the access aperture.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR ASA TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to suitcases in general and more particularlythose which can store garments such as coats, shirts, dresses, suitcoats and the like in such a manner that they are easily accessible whenneeded but which will not be wrinkled when stowed. The assembly willallow a user to, for example, take their sport coat off while in anairport and stow it in such a manner that the user need not be concernedthat the sport coat will become wrinkled during transportation withinthe suitcase. Further the device allows for garment storage which isseparated from other portions of a suitcase so that the user need notopen their entire suitcase to access the sport coat storage area.

(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The prior art relates to suitcase devices which include additionalstorage means for articles which may be removed quickly and stored whennot in use without having to access or open a clothes storagecompartment within the suitcase.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above bygenerally comprising a housing that has a rear wall and a perimeter wallwhich is attached to and extends forwardly of the rear wall. Theperimeter wall has a front edge defining an opening into the housing. Acover attached to the front edge is pivotal with respect to theperimeter wall. The cover is positioned in a closed condition coveringthe opening or in an open condition exposing the opening. The perimeterwall has an access aperture extending therethrough to access an interiorof the housing. A panel is mounted on the perimeter wall and closes oropens the access aperture. A garment bar has a first end, a second end,and an upper surface extending between the first and second ends. Agarment may be draped over the garment bar such that the garment restson the upper surface. The garment bar is mounted in the housing and isaccessible through the access aperture. A plurality of wheels and atleast one handle is mounted on the housing.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the disclosure in order that the detailed descriptionthereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that thepresent contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There areadditional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features ofnovelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisdisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than thoseset forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of a luggage and garment hangingcombination assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosuretaken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosuretaken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosureshowing an access aperture in a lateral wall of a housing.

FIG. 9 is a front isometric view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 of thedisclosure.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosuretaken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a rear cross-sectional view of an embodiment of thedisclosure of FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosureshowing an enclosure.

FIG. 13 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosureshowing the enclosure of FIG. 12 positioned within the housing.

FIG. 14 a front isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosureshowing the enclosure of FIG. 12 positioned within the housing.

FIG. 15 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through15 thereof, a new suitcase device embodying the principles and conceptsof an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by thereference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 15, the luggage and garmenthanging combination assembly 10 generally comprises a housing 12 havinga rear wall 14 and a perimeter wall 16 that is attached to and extendsforwardly of the rear wall 14. The perimeter wall 16 has a front edge 18defining an opening 20 into the housing 12 and a cover 22 is attached tothe front edge 18 which is pivotal with respect to the perimeter wall16. The cover 22 is positioned in a closed condition covering theopening 20 or in an open condition exposing the opening 20. It should beunderstood that the cover 22 may comprise a cover positioning in aforward wall of the housing covering an opening in the forward wall. Aclosure 24, such as a conventional zipper, is positioned on the frontedge 18 and releasably secures the cover 22 in the closed position. Theperimeter wall 16 will typically include a top wall 26, a bottom wall28, a first side wall 30 and a second side wall 32. A plurality ofwheels 34 is coupled to the housing 12 and one or more handles 36 isalso attached to the housing 12 wherein one of the handles 36 maycomprise a telescoping handle. As such, the above will define agenerally conventional suitcase used for holding clothing and personalitems while traveling. The plurality of wheels will typically be mountedon the bottom wall 28 though other locations may be contemplated.

Within the general constructs of the above structure of the housing 12,the invention may take the form of one of a plurality of embodiments. Inall embodiments the perimeter wall 16 includes an access aperture 40that extends through the perimeter wall 16 to access an interior of thehousing 12. A panel 42 is mounted on the perimeter wall 16 for closingor opening the access aperture. The panel 42 will typically beconstructed of the same material as the housing 12 including plastics,fabrics with or without internal frames and other materials typicallyused for suitcase construction such that the housing 12 is sufficientlyrigid to hold its shape. The panel 42 is secured in a closed positionedwith a conventional fastener 44 such as a zipper, snaps, hook and loopclosures and the like. In one embodiment, the access aperture 40 ispositioned in the top wall 26 and extends from the first side wall 30 tothe second side wall 32.

A garment bar 46 is provided which includes, as shown best in FIG. 2, afirst end 48, a second end 50, a forward edge 52, a rear edge 54, and anupper surface 56 extending between the first 48 and second 50 ends.While the garment bar 46 may comprise a rod, it may be preferred thatthe garment bar 46 is formed of an arcuate wall or plate which has awidth from the forward edge 52 to the rear edge 54 being greater than2.5 inches to reduce the chances that a garment 58 positioned thereinwill wrinkle. The upper surface 56 is convexly arcuate from the rearedge 54 to the forward edge 52 and a garment 58, such as a sports coat,may be draped over the garment bar 46 such that the garment 58 rests onthe upper surface 56.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the garment bar 46 may extend between thefirst 30 and second 32 side walls and is spaced from a front edge 60 andrear edge 62 of the access opening 40 so that the garment 58 can easilybe positioned on the garment bar 46 even if the garment bar 46 isstatically positioned in the housing 12. As shown in FIG. 15, thegarment bar 46 may be fixedly mounted in the housing 12 such that it isnot movable relative to the housing 12. The embodiment of the garmentbar 46 in FIG. 15 may be also be pivotable, relative to the housing 12while being non-removable from the housing 12. Alternatively, thegarment bar 46 may be removably mounted in the housing 12 so that thegarment bar 12 can be removed from the housing 12, the garment 58 placedon the garment bar 12, and the garment bar 12 then placed back into thehousing 12. This may be accomplished with mounts or couplers on thefirst 48 and second 50 ends which mate with connectors, catches, sleevesor the like on the housing 12.

Alternatively, as shown particularly in FIG. 2, the garment bar 46 maybe mounted on a carriage 64 mounted in the housing 12 such that thegarment bar 46 is movable between a stored condition located within thehousing 12 to a deployed condition extended outwardly through the accessaperture 40, while remaining attached to the housing 12. This embodimentincludes a pair of posts 66, which may be telescopic, that are securedto the first 30 and second 32 side walls with the garment bar 46attached to and extending between the posts 66. However, a single post66 may be sufficient for supporting the garment bar 46.

Shown best in FIG. 4 is a dividing wall 68 that divides the housing 12into a first compartment 70 and a second compartment 72. The dividingwall 68 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7 and 15 extends from the firstside wall 30 to the second side wall 32 and from the top wall 26 to thebottom wall 28. The garment bar 46 is positioned in the firstcompartment 70 and may be only accessible through the access aperture 40where the second compartment 72 is accessible only through the opening20. Thus, a person may open the panel 42 without clothes or otherarticles, which are positioned in the second compartment 72, fromfalling out of the housing 12 or being viewable by onlookers. Dependingon the size of the housing 12, the dividing wall 68, instead ofextending from the top wall 26 to the bottom wall 28 may instead extendpartially down from the top wall 26 and then extend rearwardly to therear wall 14 so that the second compartment 72 also extends below and ispositioned between the bottom wall 28 and the first compartment 70.

Alternatively, the access aperture 40 may be in the first side wall 30as shown in FIG. 8. It should be understood that in the embodiment ofFIG. 8 the garment bar 46 may again be mounted in a static condition sothat the panel 42 is opened and the garment 58 slid onto the garment bar46. Alternatively, the carriage 64 in this embodiment may include alongitudinal track 74 supporting the garment bar 46 such that thegarment bar 46 extends laterally outwardly away from the housing 12.This embodiment may include a dividing wall 68 as shown in FIG. 4,however, as shown in FIG. 10 no dividing wall may be utilized.

In one embodiment as shown in FIG. 12-14, the garment bar 46 may bemounted to an enclosure 76 which is mounted within the housing 12. Thegarment bar 46 is positioned on top of the enclosure 76 and may bestatically mounted as described above or can laterally extend out of thehousing 12 as shown in FIG. 8. However, the garment 58, when positionedon the garment bar 46, will extend over and abut a front wall 78 and aback wall 80 of the enclosure 76 while the enclosure 76 itself will holdclothes and other personal items. The enclosure 76 may include one ormore doors 82, positioned on a side thereof or in the front wall 78 toaccess the interior of the enclosure 76, or the enclosure 76 may bewithout a side wall to facilitate access into the enclosure 76. Thedoors 82 may be secured by a catch, friction fit, or other closuresincluding zippers, snaps and the like depending on the material used toconstruct the enclosure 76 which may be a rigid material or a flexiblematerial combined framing. As can be seen in FIG. 12, the garment bar 46may be attached to a guide 84 which engages a track 86 attached to theenclosure 76 though this arrangement may be reversed.

In each embodiment where the garment bar 46 utilizes a carriage 64 suchthat it can extend vertically or laterally out of the housing 12, thecarriage 64 may be motorized utilizing a conventional electric motor andcontrols. Such a system would typically include a rechargeable batteryfor a power supply and the controls may include either actuators on thehousing 12 or a remote control using, for example, Wi-Fi or Bluetoothenabled transmitters and receivers to allow a person to use theircellular phone for controlling the carriage 64.

In use, the assembly 10 is used in a conventional manner as a suitcaseis used for transporting clothing and personal articles while traveling.However, the accessible garment bar 46 allows a person to remove theirouter covering, i.e. garment 58, whether that is a shawl, sport coat,jacket or the like, and stow it quickly when it is not needed withoutconcern of wrinkling the outer covering. This may be advantageous, forexample, when a traveler is at an airport awaiting a flight or wishes tostow the garment 58 safely so that it is not encumbering the travelerwhile they are seated in an airplane seat. The utilization of separatedfirst 70 and second 72 compartments or an enclosure 76 prevents personalarticles falling out of the housing 12 or having the same be viewablewhile storing or retrieving the garment 58 from the garment bar 46.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodimentenabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials,shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, aredeemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and allequivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings anddescribed in the specification are intended to be encompassed by anembodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of thedisclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used inits non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word areincluded, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. Areference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not excludethe possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless thecontext clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.

I claim:
 1. A suitcase assembly configured for receiving a sport coat,said suitcase assembly comprising: a housing having a rear wall and aperimeter wall being attached to and extending forwardly of said rearwall, said perimeter wall having a front edge defining an opening intosaid housing, a cover being attached to said front edge being pivotalwith respect to said perimeter wall, said cover being positioned in aclosed condition covering said opening or in an open condition exposingsaid opening; said perimeter wall having an access aperture extendingtherethrough to access an interior of said housing, a panel beingmounted on said perimeter wall and closing or opening said accessaperture; a garment bar having a first end, a second end, and an uppersurface extending between said first and second ends, wherein a garmentmay be draped over said garment bar such that the garment rests on saidupper surface; said garment bar being mounted in said housing and beingaccessible through said access aperture; a plurality of wheels beingmounted on said housing; and a handle being attached to said housing. 2.The suitcase assembly according to claim 1, wherein said perimeter wallincludes a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second sidewall, said access aperture being positioned in said top wall and saidwheels being positioned on said bottom wall, said access openingextending from said first side wall to said second side wall.
 3. Thesuitcase assembly according to claim 1, wherein said perimeter wallincludes a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second sidewall, said access aperture being positioned in said first side wall andextending from said top wall to said bottom wall, said wheels beingpositioned on said bottom wall, said garment bar being mounted on acarriage and being movable between a stored condition located withinsaid housing to a deployed condition extended outwardly through saidaccess aperture, said garment bar extending laterally from said housingwhen in said deployed condition.
 4. The suitcase assembly according toclaim 1, wherein said garment bar includes a forward edge and a rearedge, said upper surface being convexly arcuate from said rear edge tosaid forward edge.
 5. The suitcase assembly according to claim 2,wherein said garment bar includes a forward edge and a rear edge, saidupper surface being convexly arcuate from said rear edge to said forwardedge.
 6. The suitcase assembly according to claim 3, wherein saidgarment bar includes a forward edge and a rear edge, said upper surfacebeing convexly arcuate from said rear edge to said forward edge.
 7. Thesuitcase assembly according to claim 1, further including at least onedividing wall positioning within said housing such that a firstcompartment and a second compartment are defined within said housing,said garment bar being in said first compartment.
 8. The suitcaseassembly according to claim 7, wherein said second compartment isaccessible only through said opening.
 9. The suitcase assembly accordingto claim 8, wherein said first compartment is accessible only throughsaid access aperture.
 10. The suitcase assembly according to claim 2,further including at least one dividing wall positioning within saidhousing such that a first compartment and a second compartment aredefined within said housing, said garment bar being in said firstcompartment.
 11. The suitcase assembly according to claim 10, whereinsaid second compartment is accessible only through said opening.
 12. Thesuitcase assembly according to claim 11, wherein said first compartmentis accessible only through said access aperture.
 13. The suitcaseassembly according to claim 12, wherein said garment bar is mounted on acarriage and being movable between a stored condition located withinsaid housing to a deployed condition extended outwardly through saidaccess aperture, said garment bar extending upwardly from said housingwhen in said deployed condition
 14. The suitcase assembly according toclaim 3, further including at least one dividing wall positioning withinsaid housing such that a first compartment and a second compartment aredefined within said housing, said garment bar being in said firstcompartment.
 15. The suitcase assembly according to claim 14, whereinsaid second compartment is accessible only through said opening and saidfirst compartment is accessible only through said access aperture.
 16. Asuitcase assembly configured for receiving a sport coat, said suitcaseassembly comprising: a housing having a rear wall and a perimeter wallbeing attached to and extending forwardly of said rear wall, saidperimeter wall having a front edge defining an opening into saidhousing, a cover being attached to said front edge being pivotal withrespect to said perimeter wall, said cover being positioned in a closedcondition covering said opening or in an open condition exposing saidopening, a closure being positioned on said front edge and releasablysecuring said cover in said closed position, said perimeter wallincluding a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second sidewall; said perimeter wall having an access aperture extendingtherethrough to access an interior of said housing, a panel beingmounted on said perimeter wall and closing or opening said accessaperture, said access aperture being positioned in said top wall andextending from said first side wall to said second side wall; a garmentbar including a first end, a second end, a forward edge, a rear edge,and an upper surface extending between said first and second ends, saidupper surface being convexly arcuate from said rear edge to said forwardedge, wherein a garment may be draped over said garment bar such thatthe garment rests on said upper surface; said garment bar being mountedin said housing and being accessible through said access aperture; aplurality of wheels being mounted on said bottom wall; and a handlebeing attached to said housing.
 17. The suitcase assembly according toclaim 16, further including at least one dividing wall positioningwithin said housing such that a first compartment and a secondcompartment are defined within said housing, said garment bar being insaid first compartment.
 18. The suitcase assembly according to claim 17,wherein said second compartment is accessible only through said opening.19. The suitcase assembly according to claim 18, wherein said firstcompartment is accessible only through said access aperture.
 20. Thesuitcase assembly according to claim 19, wherein said garment bar ismounted on a carriage and being movable between a stored conditionlocated within said housing to a deployed condition extended outwardlythrough said access aperture, said garment bar extending upwardly fromsaid housing when in said deployed condition.